Various devices are known in the prior art that are intended to protect against clothes snagging and tearing, and injury that can result from inadvertent contact with the sharp point or points of a fish hook, and to prevent against entanglement and damage of the fish hooks. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,512,295 to LaBarge and 3,453,770 to Shultz show holders for fish hooks or lures when not attached to a fishing line. However, it is often convenient not to remove the hook or lure from the fishing line but to leave it attached thereto. Examples of devices used to cover and protect against injury from a line attached hook or lure are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,841,917 to Haskell, 3,940,873 to Lawless, 4,452,003 to Deutsch et al, 2,268,756 to Mowbray and 3,645,419 to Shorrock. However, the Haskell reference is limited primarily to use with lure attached triple hooks and the Lawless reference is limited to use with single hooks. The devices disclosed in the Deutsch et al and Mowbray references require manipulation of the hook to secure it within or onto the protection device, whereas it is desirable to minimize any such manipulation so as to reduce the chance for injury, particularly in the unsteady environment of a small fishing boat. In addition, the Mowbray device is limited to use with triple hooks and is not suited for single or double hooks.
The device disclosed in the Shorrock reference is not well suited for single or double hooks wherein the hooked portion or portions lie in essentially a single plane, as it has been observed that the pointed ends of the hooks can extend through the cooperating halves. Thus, the Shorrock device will not securely hold such hooks therein.
In addition, the Shorrock device discloses hollow sealed portions that allow it to also be used as a float. However, such sealed portions as with other floats well known in the art, depend upon the absolute integrity of the air chamber or chambers for maintaining buoyancy. Thus, if ruptured or cracked in any way, water can be allowed in resulting in a loss of buoyancy. As fishing gear can often be subject to rough handling, breakage failure of floats is a common problem.